Family Meals Can Help Children Develop Healthier Eating Patterns
Eating family meals together can help children develop healthier eating patterns and do better in school. It’s also a great time to connect with family members and enjoy wonderful food. We all know that we need to eat more vegetables however getting our children to eat them can be quite a challenge. It’s important to find fun and creative ways to include vegetables in your meals. Here are some helpful tips …
Start with Kid-Friendly Foods.
Most kids are more likely to eat vegetables if they are put in something that’s already kid-friendly like tacos, burritos, spaghetti or soups.
Camouflage.
Try finely shredding or pureeing your vegetables to help camouflage them in certain foods.
Let Them Help.
Let your kids pick out a variety of colors of vegetables at the grocery store then have them help you cut them into fun shapes to eat raw … or roasted to give them a sweeter flavor.
Remember: A child may need to be exposed to a certain food 10 to 15 times before s/he will actually eat it. Continue to offer a variety of vegetables every night and don’t give up!
